arousal

American

[uh-rou-zuhl] / əˈraʊ zəl /

noun

the act or an instance of waking up.

Arousals occur naturally during sleep and increase with age.
the act of stimulating someone sexually, or the state of being sexually stimulated.

Some yoga practices improve levels of arousal in sexually unsatisfied women.
the act of stirring up or the state of being stirred up; excitement: Relieving teens from stress in conversations can be a very effective way to prevent the arousal of anger.

Be aware of your level of emotional arousal when making decisions.
Relieving teens from stress in conversations can be a very effective way to prevent the arousal of anger.

Other Word Forms

nonarousal noun
overarousal noun
rearousal noun
semiarousal noun
subarousal noun

Etymology

Origin of arousal

arous(e) ( def. ) + -al ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Stimulant medications affect arousal and reward, not attention networks.

From Science Daily • Dec. 29, 2025

According to Ährlund-Richter, ACA may help the brain focus on potentially meaningful visual details as arousal rises, while ORB may act to reduce attention to distracting or overly strong stimuli.

From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2025

As a therapist, I know that for children with autism, water offers resistance, pressure and pleasant sensory arousal.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025

One, called the locus coeruleus, is a deep brain region that activates the stress response, promoting arousal and vigilance.

From Salon • Aug. 7, 2024

Are extreme arousal and mind-blindness inevitable under conditions of stress?

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023